I battled bravely on through the second week, working through the third chapter of Vampire Nights, but even that was not enough to bring me out of my despair.
Okay, okay, that is a little melodramatic, but only a little. Anybody care to ask McG and I am sure you would hear him say the same.
Lack of work was making me depressed. Not so much the work, for I easily can find things to keep me busy, but the lack of money that work tends to bring in. Since I don't get paid until the 15th of each month I had two weeks off with very little money. Kind of shit, really, eh? Still, I did get paid, around about the same time as I went back to work. And what a joy it was. NOT!
I ended up working in Boots for the day, and it has to be said, it was the crapiest most boring day I have ever had working for Sercuricor. Still, two days later I was at the National Film Theatre once again, for the Conservative meeting. Can things get any worse? From Boots to politics. After that, of course, I ended up doing BADA (the British Antique Dealers Association) Fair, at an army HQ in Chelsea. That was a little more fun. Recommended for the great job I did with the marshalling of traffic during the busy build up period, so that was okay. During all this some good things were happening. I had booked my tickets for my trip to Scotland.
On the 23rd of March I went to Scotland to see Mark. It was a long overdue trip, but I was there at last. It was a long weekend away from the noise of daily life, and, as Mark would put it, a mad laugh.
The train journey was delayed, but I had enough music to listen to, enough snacks to eat, and a book to read, so it was not a problem. Mark and Lesley met me from the train at Motherwell station and we went straight to the pub where, Mark's mother works, for a pint or two. Such a change in atmosphere from London. That weekend I felt like I was back home. Friendly people who knew each other, fresh air and great conversation and fun with my best mate. What more could a man ask for? I have to say this right now, I just LOVE Scotland, it is such a great place, full of history and real culture. A far cry from England which has lost its identity in the inrush of different cultures and Americanisation.
Mark and I spent a fair amount of time at the beginning and end of each day just chilling out by watching Doctor Who videos, all of which I had not yet seen. It was great fun. Day times we spent out and about. On the Friday we went to Glasgow which was nice, having a great laugh in Laser Quest. Although how Mark got the higher score is beyond me, after all I shot more people than he did (I wonder if it has anything to do with me being shot more times?). Saturday we spent most of the day in Hamilton and near Strathclyde Loch. It was a mad day. The two of us having a lightsabre fight outside Hamilton Crypt (can't remember how to spell Mosoleum! Argh!). Jumping off walls, nearly falling down grass banks. Act one of the duel ended with Mark's revelation... "I am your Mother!" he hissed at me, to which I yelled back, "No! That is impossible!" and stabbed him with my invisible lightsabre. It was then that we realised that some tourists had turned the corner and noticed us. Mark was mortified, but I just laughed. We explored an old haunted house (only on the outside) and went to Scotland's first theme park. Then headed back to Mark's house. Sunday we went for a stroll through Mark's childhood, and ended up in this forgotten graveyard in a valley in Motherwell. It was brilliant. Sun and fun! At the graveyard we tried our best to freak each other out but failed. I guess we were having too much fun to be freaked! The trip ended Sunday night at the pub and almost winning the quiz. But his Dad's team just overtook us at the last moment. Gits!
Ahh, but it was a great time. Coming back to London reminded me how much I hated living in the city. Sure, I love the city, I think it is a magnificent place, but it is not me. I am too friendly to live in London. I will get into a little more shortly, for now let me say this: Thanks Mark, for a great weekend, and yes, we will do it again! FACT!
Oh, and I came away from Scotland with a great new saying, almost as good as "aye". "Is that you?", meaning are you finished, "Aye, that's me," meaning yes I am. It's great!
I returned to London on the monday 27th, but there was no time to pause. I had to go out in the evening to meet up with LadyZora, a friend from NetCentral, aka, Jesse. We met outside Westminster and from there we walked around London. Also with Jesse was her flatmate, Rosanna. The very loud Rosanna! *L* It was a cool night, eating in Burger King, chatting while Jess enjoyed her "whoopa"! I think she meant to call it a whoppa, but whoopa is a lot more funny. As sad as we are we ended up in the internet cafe in Victoria. But that was cool, chatting online while sitting next to each other. Heck, we even made up a new net phrase, FFG *pitchu!*, the meaning of which shall come out in time. The next day Jess, Rosanna and I spent around my area, just kidding about, and doing very little. We went to see the film The Hurricaine which turned out to be a great film. Then they headed off back to Holland. And that was my first meeting with a chatter of the net. It was good to meet Jess in person after all these months of chatting online.
Then it was back to work in Islington for the last few days of the month. A better time was had then, working alongside Dez's usual a-team.
My reading has been better this month, mind. Corpse Marker was finished early in the month and from that I went straight onto The Vampire Armand. A novel well worth waiting for, one of Anne Rice's better stories. This was followed by Vittorio The Vampire, Anne Rice's latest offering. Not one of her best, but nonetheless a good novel. Then onto the classic 1954 novel, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. I was very impressed by how good it was for such an old book. One man's fight for survival in a world of vampires. Awesome. And then onto The Vampyre by Tom Holland (which I am about due to finish). It is very much in the same vain as the books of Anne Rice, but being by a British writer it gives me hope that perhaps I can indeed make an impact with Vampyre Nights.
And the songs of March are: Marilyn Manson's New Model No. 15; Jars Of Clay's Hand, a beautiful song about the love between child and father; Boyzone's I'm Learning, yes one of those boy bands that seem to plague popular music, but I like it, a song about a man learning to live without the loves of his life, his wife and Mother; and also, thanks to McG who continued to pester me to check these guys out, Gomez's Get Miles, a song that came at the right time. The line, "I love this city, but this city's killing me" says it all. Thanks to McG on that one!
So there you have it, March. A mixed month, indeed, but ultimately an eventful one, at least the second half of the month was. My trip to Scotland left me longing to leave London, and so I am at the end of April. I will be moving back to Southend where my Mother lives. There is so much that is great about London, but I miss the atmosphere you have in the community where people are friendly. The kind of place where you walk into a shop and people know you by name, where Ice Cream Vans come visiting down the streets. A place with heart. London is losing it's heart, the people are losing their personality. And I am fed up of it. There was a time when I would stomach it because I had my friends around me, but since turning from Christianity I seem to have lost a lot of those friends, so I have little holding me here. Time to move on once and for all...
As you may or may not be able to tell, this month's entry has been a bit low keyed compared to last month. It may appear that I am down about things, but the truth is I am not. I simply tell it how it is. Life is hard at times, but it is a joyous thing, and I will never stop loving it. Change is at the heart of what we are, after all. Change is good.
as told by Mark
Until next month, this has been MishterC