Our main client management system has been up and down for the past two days, and today is mostly down. This means that apart from emailing to clients, answering their general questions, I am unable to do anything. None of us can. It's highly frustrating, sitting here watching the work pile up and being unable to do a damn thing about it!
So what's a boy to do in circumstances like this? Go shopping of course. Unfortunately my heart wasn't in it and so I wandered aimlessly through menswear in David Jones', with nothing really grabbing my attention. It's C3's birthday on Thursday and so I've decided to buy him (among other things) a CD of Philippe Jaroussky - this was the magnificent countertenor that we saw (and heard) on Saturday night! Could I find it? NO!
How frustrating...went to several different stores, including those mega-stores which seem to have every CD except for the one you're looking for. Even the specialist classical CD stores didn't have them, but finally, one did say that they've ordered more in and should have them in by Friday! It's a day late, but still...
So, my shopping today has been fruitless. But at least it killed some time. I think I might go home because it's pointless sitting here!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
A Bloggers Meet...
We had our Sydney vs Melbourne Bloggers Meet on Sunday evening at the Tilbury and as has been mentioned in SG's blog, we flogged the pants off Melbourne! tee hee hee! Not that we are gloating or anything of course, but it doesn't come as any surprise that Sydney won pants down! (metaphorically speaking of course).
I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed this Meet, even more so than the previous one in February. I got to meet lots more bloggers, and I'm in the process of adding more links to my blog roll as a consequence. It was also great that we had an international flavour with Dan and Stephen from London joining our little soiree and I hope to catch up with them in October when I'm in London...they may even attend the International Bloggers Meet that is happening then! It just depends on the timing, as they are getting CP'd on the 6th October which is rather exciting!
This week, my life is ridiculous! By 10pm Sunday, every night this week had been booked apart from last night (Monday) which is sacred - Monday nights are Monty Time! (and just as well, it was the Grand Finale of BB07 - sad as that sounds, I had to watch it) But the rest of this week is full and I'm now having to decline invitations which I hate doing!
I left a comment on Gay Banker's blog the other day in response to one of his comments and an email he had received. And I do think that what he said is quite true - it certainly seems to be happening to me at the moment. He effectively said that projecting a confident attitude will attract guys, and certainly, it seems to be happening to me. Over the past few weeks, I have felt much more confident, feeling less worried about finding Mr Right and instead, just enjoying what life is throwing at me. And I've never been more inundated with guys wanting to see me, whether first timers or repeat offenders! My experience at Stonewall on Friday night is testament to that. AND, now that I've started dating C3 (yes, I admit, I've decided to give it a go with him), I'm not particularly wanting to meet up with these guys.
Why is it the case...when it rains, it pours! Just when it all starts cranking up, I'm winding back! Oh the irony!
Anyway, I'm not complaining; I'm actually really enjoying myself at the moment. I'm going to see what happens with C3 without trying to think things through (like I usually do), without projecting too much into the future (like I usually do), but just take it one day at a time (like I usually don't). Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I must admit, I thoroughly enjoyed this Meet, even more so than the previous one in February. I got to meet lots more bloggers, and I'm in the process of adding more links to my blog roll as a consequence. It was also great that we had an international flavour with Dan and Stephen from London joining our little soiree and I hope to catch up with them in October when I'm in London...they may even attend the International Bloggers Meet that is happening then! It just depends on the timing, as they are getting CP'd on the 6th October which is rather exciting!
This week, my life is ridiculous! By 10pm Sunday, every night this week had been booked apart from last night (Monday) which is sacred - Monday nights are Monty Time! (and just as well, it was the Grand Finale of BB07 - sad as that sounds, I had to watch it) But the rest of this week is full and I'm now having to decline invitations which I hate doing!
I left a comment on Gay Banker's blog the other day in response to one of his comments and an email he had received. And I do think that what he said is quite true - it certainly seems to be happening to me at the moment. He effectively said that projecting a confident attitude will attract guys, and certainly, it seems to be happening to me. Over the past few weeks, I have felt much more confident, feeling less worried about finding Mr Right and instead, just enjoying what life is throwing at me. And I've never been more inundated with guys wanting to see me, whether first timers or repeat offenders! My experience at Stonewall on Friday night is testament to that. AND, now that I've started dating C3 (yes, I admit, I've decided to give it a go with him), I'm not particularly wanting to meet up with these guys.
Why is it the case...when it rains, it pours! Just when it all starts cranking up, I'm winding back! Oh the irony!
Anyway, I'm not complaining; I'm actually really enjoying myself at the moment. I'm going to see what happens with C3 without trying to think things through (like I usually do), without projecting too much into the future (like I usually do), but just take it one day at a time (like I usually don't). Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
It's good weekend number 6...
In one of my earlier blogs, Campbell left a message saying something to the effect of 'I hope your good weekends exceed the number of wives of Henry VIII' - well, it's now good weekend number 6 (in a row) so I've now equalled Henry's spouses! Thankfully, my weekends haven't turned out as tragically as many of his wives did! In fact, they've all been pretty damn sensational!
Friday 27 July 2007 was a significant day for me as I acheived a significant milestone with my employer and so to celebrate, the Bank threw a cocktail party for me and 30 or so of my nearest and dearest work colleagues in our reception rooms! It was a great night, the alcohol flowed very freely (as it generally does when one's employer is footing the bill), the canapes were delicious and represented most types of dead animal (sorry to all the vego's out there) - pheasant, quail, venison, veal, chicken, prawns, you get my drift. Yummmmo! There was a couple of (thankfully) brief speeches and a presentation to me of some lovely flowers and my present - a new DSLR camera which we had gone shopping for that afternoon. The Bank coughed up $1,000 for whatever I wanted and as the camera cost nearly double that, I coughed up with the rest. So I'm thoroughly chuffed that I've now got a fabulous camera to take overseas with me.
Needless to say, all the stuff stayed at work while we partied on...we went to the Argyle in the Rocks and I must say, it's a great bar! Haven't been there before and I was impressed. Lots of hot guys there too...unfortunately, they were with their girlfriends! Bugger! Anyway, the party kinda broke up around 11.30pm or so - most had significant others to go home to - and I was a bit at a loose end. I was tempted to go home, as I was very tired but one of my friends had texted me earlier in the evening remarking on the number of hot guys he saw at the Flinders. This had got me thinking about heading OUT on the scene rather than going home. And so, as the party was winding up I thought 'Fuck it, I'm going to do it'! I wasn't particularly drunk, I had been drinking fairly steadily over the course of the evening, enough just to keep the buzz happening, and I was over the fear that I have of going alone to a gay bar. If any have read my first ever post on this blog when I went into a gay bar in Berlin, you'll understand what I mean. For crying out loud, I'm 36 years old, surely I can walk into a bar, get a drink and see what happens. And so, I did. I went to the Stonewall, as I've been there twice before and felt reasonably comfortable there. Walked in, got my beer, and stood back and watched. Within a couple of minutes, a young'ish guy (late 20's I suppose) approached me and started chatting, and then suggested going back to his place. He was lovely, but I declined. He wandered off and then a couple, probably late 30's both of them, good looking, came up to me and started chatting. It came out that they also live on the North Shore and we had a lovely chat. They left, and another guy who looked around my age, nicely trimmed beard, started chatting to me. I was blown away by this stage that I had not had to stand there by myself for more than a couple of minutes at any given time. And this was all over the course of me drinking one beer! So, it was a great confidence booster for me - I was pretty damn chuffed with myself just for having done it, having gone to a gay bar in Sydney alone without the support of friends - and here I actually seemed to be reasonably successful in attracting guys without having to really do anything but stand there! So I had a great night!
Last night, I went on date number 2 with C3. We met at Bar 333 on George St and he'd purchased a bottle of champers for us to drink, which of course we did. I had booked tickets to see the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra as they had performing with them a sensational countertenor, Frenchman Philippe Jaroussky. I had heard him on ABC ClassicFM the previous week and they had mentioned that he was performing in Sydney for this week only. On our first date last Saturday, C3 mentioned his love of opera and so I thought this would be the perfect way to spend out second date. It was. Philippe has the voice of an angel, gives you goosebumps, and the Baroque period of music has always been my favourite so it was just AWESOME! C3 loved it too and so the night was off to a great start!
Afterwards, we needed some dinner and so I suggested coming home and ordering some home delivery - my mind was more on snuggling with this hot guy than sitting in some restaurant making conversation. He readily accepted my offer and so we did. I just find it so much more relaxing snuggling on the couch and talking; I think I'm much more open and willing to discuss more personal subjects. We ordered Thai from my favourite restaurant and it was delivered pronto and was delicious! Opened a bottle of Chardy from Silo's, a great vineyard just south of Berry, and the rest of the evening just flew by. C3 is a great snuggler, both on the couch and in bed and I must say, I'm a HUGE fan of snuggling. HUGE!
We had brunch at about 12:30 today and I took him home. Who knows how this will progress - I certainly like him, he definitely likes me, the conversation flows easily and naturally, he's emotionally generous. I think we're both in the same space in terms of expectations - we're both happy to let things happen without projecting forward too much. Whatever the case, it was a wonderful evening spent in the company of a great guy - one of the best dates I've had.
And now, I'm about to get ready and wander in to meet my fellow Sydney bloggers at the Tilbury, so it should be a good evening.
Hope you've all had great weekends too!
Friday 27 July 2007 was a significant day for me as I acheived a significant milestone with my employer and so to celebrate, the Bank threw a cocktail party for me and 30 or so of my nearest and dearest work colleagues in our reception rooms! It was a great night, the alcohol flowed very freely (as it generally does when one's employer is footing the bill), the canapes were delicious and represented most types of dead animal (sorry to all the vego's out there) - pheasant, quail, venison, veal, chicken, prawns, you get my drift. Yummmmo! There was a couple of (thankfully) brief speeches and a presentation to me of some lovely flowers and my present - a new DSLR camera which we had gone shopping for that afternoon. The Bank coughed up $1,000 for whatever I wanted and as the camera cost nearly double that, I coughed up with the rest. So I'm thoroughly chuffed that I've now got a fabulous camera to take overseas with me.
Needless to say, all the stuff stayed at work while we partied on...we went to the Argyle in the Rocks and I must say, it's a great bar! Haven't been there before and I was impressed. Lots of hot guys there too...unfortunately, they were with their girlfriends! Bugger! Anyway, the party kinda broke up around 11.30pm or so - most had significant others to go home to - and I was a bit at a loose end. I was tempted to go home, as I was very tired but one of my friends had texted me earlier in the evening remarking on the number of hot guys he saw at the Flinders. This had got me thinking about heading OUT on the scene rather than going home. And so, as the party was winding up I thought 'Fuck it, I'm going to do it'! I wasn't particularly drunk, I had been drinking fairly steadily over the course of the evening, enough just to keep the buzz happening, and I was over the fear that I have of going alone to a gay bar. If any have read my first ever post on this blog when I went into a gay bar in Berlin, you'll understand what I mean. For crying out loud, I'm 36 years old, surely I can walk into a bar, get a drink and see what happens. And so, I did. I went to the Stonewall, as I've been there twice before and felt reasonably comfortable there. Walked in, got my beer, and stood back and watched. Within a couple of minutes, a young'ish guy (late 20's I suppose) approached me and started chatting, and then suggested going back to his place. He was lovely, but I declined. He wandered off and then a couple, probably late 30's both of them, good looking, came up to me and started chatting. It came out that they also live on the North Shore and we had a lovely chat. They left, and another guy who looked around my age, nicely trimmed beard, started chatting to me. I was blown away by this stage that I had not had to stand there by myself for more than a couple of minutes at any given time. And this was all over the course of me drinking one beer! So, it was a great confidence booster for me - I was pretty damn chuffed with myself just for having done it, having gone to a gay bar in Sydney alone without the support of friends - and here I actually seemed to be reasonably successful in attracting guys without having to really do anything but stand there! So I had a great night!
Last night, I went on date number 2 with C3. We met at Bar 333 on George St and he'd purchased a bottle of champers for us to drink, which of course we did. I had booked tickets to see the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra as they had performing with them a sensational countertenor, Frenchman Philippe Jaroussky. I had heard him on ABC ClassicFM the previous week and they had mentioned that he was performing in Sydney for this week only. On our first date last Saturday, C3 mentioned his love of opera and so I thought this would be the perfect way to spend out second date. It was. Philippe has the voice of an angel, gives you goosebumps, and the Baroque period of music has always been my favourite so it was just AWESOME! C3 loved it too and so the night was off to a great start!
Afterwards, we needed some dinner and so I suggested coming home and ordering some home delivery - my mind was more on snuggling with this hot guy than sitting in some restaurant making conversation. He readily accepted my offer and so we did. I just find it so much more relaxing snuggling on the couch and talking; I think I'm much more open and willing to discuss more personal subjects. We ordered Thai from my favourite restaurant and it was delivered pronto and was delicious! Opened a bottle of Chardy from Silo's, a great vineyard just south of Berry, and the rest of the evening just flew by. C3 is a great snuggler, both on the couch and in bed and I must say, I'm a HUGE fan of snuggling. HUGE!
We had brunch at about 12:30 today and I took him home. Who knows how this will progress - I certainly like him, he definitely likes me, the conversation flows easily and naturally, he's emotionally generous. I think we're both in the same space in terms of expectations - we're both happy to let things happen without projecting forward too much. Whatever the case, it was a wonderful evening spent in the company of a great guy - one of the best dates I've had.
And now, I'm about to get ready and wander in to meet my fellow Sydney bloggers at the Tilbury, so it should be a good evening.
Hope you've all had great weekends too!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
PST...
Well, it's Pink Shirt Thursday and as I was searching through my old 80's pics for a suitable pic to post for Muzbot's challenge, I came across this one...and I thought it would be very appropriate for a PST post - a family in pink. This is a bit daunting actually, as I've not posted any pics of my family before. But, here it is, in all it's grainy glory! 
And here's Monty now, in all his pink shirted, "designer stubbled" glory.
Monty, of course, is the 13 yr old (it's 1984) in his pink t-shirt, mum in the middle (now bet you didn't guess that...ha ha) in her pink striped shorts, and my older brother Mark (the gay one in London) in all his hot pink glory as a 16 yr old. Hmmmm, wonder if our, errrr, leanings were being unwittingly manifested, even at that early age.
And here's Monty now, in all his pink shirted, "designer stubbled" glory. The 80's flashback challenge...
The challenge has been thrown down by Muzbot so here it is...Monty in 1989! Scary photo! The hair!!! Anyway, I'll try and post a PST pic this evening so you can compare me at 18 and me double that age! Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Friends...
Many gay guys seem to bag Gaydar but tonight really reinforced to me how great Gaydar has been to me. I received a postcard from my friend Englishman In Budapest tonight when I got home. Not a big deal, but I was pretty excited. He's an English Lit teacher working for an English college in Budapest and so at the moment, is on holidays. He's been in the UK for the past 4 weeks catching up with his family and friends and so, as a consequence, our weekly Sunday night chats have not been happening. And to be honest, Sunday nights have just dragged for me since I haven't been chatting to him. It is always a highlight of my week to talk to him - we always have a laugh, he's always full of good advice, and it's just a great couple of hours spent in the company of a good friend. I met him through Gaydar last year before I went overseas. I messaged him because I thought it'd be great to meet up with someone who lives there and has a bit of local knowledge. He's now a really great friend and so upon receiving his postcard tonight, I rang him. It was so good to chat to him after having not done so for the last month - a most unexpected but fantastic bonus to my otherwise pretty dull Tuesday!
Matt, my friend from London who stayed with me last month. Met him through Gaydar...same kind of deal as EIB - I knew I was going to be in London and so I had a look at the London boys and his profile jumped out at me because he lived just around the corner from my brother Mark (and his pics were pretty damn cute). And now, he's a good friend with whom I keep in regular contact.
My great mate Evan I also first contacted via Gaydar...we met up for the first time at Mardi Gras at 3:30am outside the Gaydar tent! We now email each other pretty much on a daily basis, generally talk at least once or twice a week, and try to meet up for dinner and a chat once a week too.
There are heaps more guys that I have met through Gaydar who I would now consider friends. Yes, I haven't met Mr Right through Gaydar, but hey, I've made lots of friends. It's not the be all and end all in terms of meeting guys, but it's certainly one way to do it. You do need to keep it in perspective and be realistic in your expectations - I've certainly learned that over the past year - but if you do, it can be a great tool.
Matt, my friend from London who stayed with me last month. Met him through Gaydar...same kind of deal as EIB - I knew I was going to be in London and so I had a look at the London boys and his profile jumped out at me because he lived just around the corner from my brother Mark (and his pics were pretty damn cute). And now, he's a good friend with whom I keep in regular contact.
My great mate Evan I also first contacted via Gaydar...we met up for the first time at Mardi Gras at 3:30am outside the Gaydar tent! We now email each other pretty much on a daily basis, generally talk at least once or twice a week, and try to meet up for dinner and a chat once a week too.
There are heaps more guys that I have met through Gaydar who I would now consider friends. Yes, I haven't met Mr Right through Gaydar, but hey, I've made lots of friends. It's not the be all and end all in terms of meeting guys, but it's certainly one way to do it. You do need to keep it in perspective and be realistic in your expectations - I've certainly learned that over the past year - but if you do, it can be a great tool.
Less is more...
OK, it's getting into week 3 of my unshaven state and it's starting to be a little irritating. PLUS, it's really looking scruffy - I'm walking down the street in my suit and I look like a well dressed homeless person! I have always had a very defined jaw and I'm losing it with this beard...the edges have softened and I'm not a fan. I've also had a couple of people here at work comment that the growth is making me look "more mature" - what the...? Not liking that!
So, after much thought, I'm going to go home and get my clippers out and trim it. I'm not ditching it; I just think it looks better as a "designer stubble" than its current state. I've been checking out all the other guys in the city who do have facial hair and it seems that the closely trimmed beard thing is the way to go. And I think it suits me more. Will post a pic on PST - though to be honest, I think it will look like my last pic which was when it was at its "designer stubble" phase.
So, after much thought, I'm going to go home and get my clippers out and trim it. I'm not ditching it; I just think it looks better as a "designer stubble" than its current state. I've been checking out all the other guys in the city who do have facial hair and it seems that the closely trimmed beard thing is the way to go. And I think it suits me more. Will post a pic on PST - though to be honest, I think it will look like my last pic which was when it was at its "designer stubble" phase.
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