Of drugs and gays

Was in London over the weekend having a lovely time. Weather continues to be scorching and while I'm enjoying my first forays into summer clothing (previous years have seen me in winter clothes, just less of them) I'm beginning to stare wistfully at my cashmere jumpers in their cocoons. First reason for going into town was Laura's birthday. Met up with Brittany and Molly in the Light Bar in Shoreditch and then on to East Village with a quick beer or two in Favela Chic on the way. Also had the 'pleasure' of the company of a couple of extremely posh people from St Andrews that I thought I'd seen the last of but due to Brittany's pleasant appearance an inability to say 'no' such people infrequently appear for a few hours. Unfortunately I was horribly drunk the whole evening so my recollection is hazy at best but one of them definitely told a story that involved being at Boris Johnson's table during the opening of the Beijing Olympics. The mind boggles. My expectations of finding a meritocracy SOMEWHERE in the world were dealt another blow. Eventually it was mooted that cocaine should be acquired and I explained to Brittany that if we spent the rest of the evening with coked up posh boys I'd kill myself. So we left. Which is just as well because the bouncer caught them with their cocaine and the police were called. Since one of the people concerned was a lawyer and a licence was at stake money exchanged hands and nothing came of it in the end but it was a part of the evening I was certainly glad to avoid.

Everything else about the bar hopping was great though - Laura is wonderful, her boyfriend Jack equally so, I don't think I've ever spent an unpleasant second with either of them and Friday was no exception. Plus Bills showed up totally unexpectedly and there was much kissing, tequila drinking and catching up to be done. After escaping the threat of tedious cocaine chat we went to find Brittany's boyfriend and Sonny Phil in a somewhat less salubrious but definitely more appropriate venue. Appropriate because I was so drunk. I definitely remember throwing up in my mouth at one point. Nice.

Eventually we went back to Brittany's new flat on Boundary Street. Small but perfectly formed and a good deal cleaner than the Brick Lane flat. Anthony was in and up. Stayed up all night talking, arguing, listening to music and having a nice time. Created a strange feeling the following day - because I'd stopped drinking and sobered up around 5am I forgot that I'd been EXTREMELY drunk and it only occurred to me halfway through Saturday that I was horribly hungover. Thought I was just tired and hot. Once I realised I was hungover I could do something about it - namely eat lots of chips and drink lots of soda. Ended Friday on a sour note of frustrated affection and will not be making the same mistakes again. Was a reminder to grow up and focus my attentions in appropriate places.

Saturday was gay pride at which I was expecting to march with the Albert Kennedy Trust. Since I hadn't been to sleep I was up very early and took the opportunity to head over to Henry's flat so I could drop off my bag and not have it on my back all day. Spent the morning changing clothes and drinking diet coke in a bid to stave off sleep then we headed out. Walked up and down Baker Street looking for the AKT peeps but they were not in evidence. Checked out all the cute boys in small shorts who were, unfortunately, all hired by companies to advertise their wares (both the companies and their own) and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a homo amongst them. We waited for 45 minutes for the parade to start and to hopefully spot AKT as they came past but due to no sleep, stinking (but as yet unrealised) hangover, BLAZING heat and sunshine, and the small matter of the waistband of my micro shorts digging into my sore back we headed off the Soho to check out the action there.

Wandered around for a bit and decamped to Nandos for chicken, chips and to enjoy the unlimited soda. Highlight of the day for me was that Andi Peters (former TV presenter turned producer - certainly recognisable but a stretch to call him famous) was eating in Nandos. He was sat downstairs and his party was the only party on that floor. As an extra precaution his booth was barricaded by a line of chairs, which I can only assume they were hoping would provide him with an extra few seconds of escape time as he was stampeded by his adoring public. This was in marked contrast to Rupert Everett (former Hollywood movie star, friend of Donatella Versace and MORE than a little bit famous) who was eating at a restaurant 2 doors down sat out on the street with nothing more than his lunch as a barricade. Also saw Ivan Massow. If that isn't a reason to post a picture of him I don't know what is. Must ask him out one of these days.

After embarrassing ourselves by eating half the restaurant (seriously, the waitress visibly judged us and couldn't hide her disgust) we went to Trafalgar Square to party a little bit. Not much of a party to be had so we headed home. Was SO happy to get home - back was killing me, feet were killing me, it was 30 degrees and my hangover had only been alleviated so much. Was asleep by 10pm. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera so no pictures.

Had mixed feelings about the whole day really. The general reaction to my friends about gay pride was 'what's the point of that these days? Gays have it all' and there was a distinct lack of energy to the whole event. Since this comes at a time on increased homophobia in London I was slightly unsettled by the whole thing. Coverage in the press today reflects that - no headlines, no major coverage, just a bit of 'oh by the way, this happened'. Shame really. Plus Madrid Pride was the same weekend so all the gym bunnies were busy showing the Madrilenos what they've got. I guess if I'd slept and not been so hungover I'd have had a more favourable impression over all.

It's been too long!

I've just read some of my old posts and its been a nice reminder of how a blog functions as a diary as well as a public forum. So I might get stuck in again. Today is not a good day though - I got up, went to the job centre, went to the gym, ate chicken and tried not to expire from boredom. I'm sure I'll be doing things again soon though

Knee Surgery

Not a lot to report ... I'm in my third week of post-surgery recovery. Some pictures for your delectation:

Have to confess that the photos are quite old now and things are already MUCH improved. Still wearing the stupid leg brace though - three more weeks of that to enjoy.

Steve's Birthday

Went camping over the weekend to celebrate Steve's birthday. Really enjoyed the whole evening much more than I thought I would ... and I was looking forward to it. Here's a picture of me shitting myself with excitement in my tent:

Obviously my happiness has got nothing to do with the full bar occupying 50% of my tent. Ehem. Since the gays were the only people who had bought a realistic amount of alcohol (8 of us, therefore 2.5 litres of spirits, 18 beers, 18 ciders, 5 bottles of wine) we were forced to hide it all from the rest of the group. My tent became known as Catacombs ... the gayest of gay bars in the whole of the Forest of Dean. Was so much fun.

Came home and had a poignant mum and son moment - realised that we both had our joint rolling equipment in bags on the coffee table. 'How alike we are' I thought and then realised that hers was a bag she got free with Good Housekeeping magazine and mine was a leather Gucci makeup bag (which I bought in a moment of vanity and self-aggrandisation in my early teens).

The Diet Delusion

I cannot recommend reading the Diet Delusion by Gary Taubes any more highly. 500 pages of impeccable research and a thoughtful examination of current dietary thinking. A book so full of revelations that I almost got exhausted of being surprised by them. I had to restrain myself from reading bits to people on the tube on more than one occasion ... anyone who has been on the tube knows what a big no-no that is and anyone who knows me knows what a big no-no that is for me. In summary:

1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not the cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilisation.

2. The problem is carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin secretion, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis - the entire harmonic ensemble of the human body. The more easily digestible and refined the carbohydrates, the greater the effect on our height, weight and well-being.

3. Sugars - sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup specifically - are particularly harmful, probably because the combination of fructose and glucose simultaneously elevates insulin levels while overloading the liver with carbohydrates.

4. Through their direct effect on insulin and blood sugar, refined carbohydrates, starches and sugars are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease and diabetes. They are the most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and the other chronic diseases of civilisation.

5. Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating, and not sedentary behaviour.

6. Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter, any more than it causes a child to grow taller. Expending more energy than we consume does not lead to long term weight loss; it leads to hunger.

7. Fattening and obesity are cause by an imbalance in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue and fat metabolism. Fat synthesis and storage exceed mobilisation of fat from the adipose tissues and its subsequent oxidation. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverse this balance.

8. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated - either chronically (diabetes) or after a meal - we accumulate fat in our fat tissue. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and use it for fuel.

9. By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. The fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.

10. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.

Is he right? Who knows, I'm no biochemistry expert. I think its enough that if he is even partially right it would be a complete revolution in the concept of diet and exercise. For me he has removed COMPLETELY any feelings of guilt surrounding food and my diet. Its difficult to express what that means to me; I was first put on a diet at 7 years old and thereafter the implication was that it was my conscious fault for being overweight and the only thing standing in my way was my lack of dedication and self control. Feeling like a failure for 21 years is grinding.

Compelling evidence to the contrary has revolutionised my life, my happiness and my entire attitude towards existence. Everyone should read this book and anyone who struggles with their weight should HAVE to read it, it is nothing less than extraordinary. I would love to disseminate Gary's ideas as far and wide as I'm able to. Unfortunately I'm no Oprah so I'm limited to publishing them on my blog. To get the full weight of his rationale and to appreciate the science behind it please read the book. Rant over.

In case you think on my own one of the jacket quotes is:

'This book is a most important contribution to Mankind - really an historic book.'

Jeremy Stone, president of The American Federation of Scientists.

Different title in the States:http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Controversial-Science/dp/1400033462/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251383113&sr=8-1

Home sweet home

Today marks the day I officially left London and moved back home with mum. Been living out of a bag for a couple of weeks so I'm really happy to be back with my stuff around me and my full wardrobe to choose from. I'm not Carrie Bradshaw but two weeks of washing two shirts and one gym outfit is more than one gay can be expected to stand.

Brittany had a friend to stay the last day I was also resident and this conversation took place:

Ruth: What does your dad do?

Brit: He's a salesman for AIG, has his own business and acts independantly

ME: (applause as I enter stage left) Wait, he's an independant financial adviser?

Brit: Yeah

Me: That's what I want to do for a living

Brit: Really? Dad's always asking if I have any friends who want to come and work for him. So I guess if you're willing to move to New Jersey you'd have a job.

Me: I am willing

Brit: No, seriously. If you're willing to live in New Jersey I will send him your CV. Actually, we're only about 30 mins from New York so you could live in the city.

Me: How have we known each other for 10 years and not had this conversation before?

So there we are ... CV has been submitted, everything is crossed. Just hoping her dad is till in the market for an employee.

Mmmmmmmmmmm cake

I don't have my cord to attach my camera to my laptop so illustration will have to wait. It's Henry's birthday on Tuesday and on Saturday he had a dinner party for 9 of us. Was Steve, Doig, Faye, Helen, Paul, Henry, Craig and myself. As usual Henry went all out on the catering and a supremely delicious mussel soup with homemade bread was followed by red mullet with a selection of salads (including peach, mozzarella and mint which was delicious). he big bang at the end of the meal was his birthday cake which had no fewer than 7 layers! An extravaganza of sponge, red velvet, butter cream, meringue ... the list goes on. It was amazing. Plus cheese and petite fours. I supplied the chocolates and mighty fine they were too, from www.meltchocolates.com. They bloody well should have been too - 25 chocolates set me back almost £40. Basically spent the same on chocolates that I spent on Henry's present!

It was such a good night - really close knit group of people, all on top form, having a really magical evening together. Ended up with the gays shrieking and chasing each other with fat calipers while drinking pomegranate martinis at 5 o clock in the morning. Passed out where I stood and ate my way through my hangover the following day. Can't wait for Henry's birthday next year!